Patient/caregiver was instructed upon indications for prednisone use as follows:
Allergy and autoimmune conditions:
- Prednisone helps prevent the release of immune mediators, such as, interleukins and tumor necrosis factor, which play a key role in allergy and immune response.
- This action of prednisone contributes to suppressing overactive immune system that is responsible for activation of symptoms in various allergy conditions and autoimmune diseases, such as, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, crohn’s disease, allergic rhinitis, and asthma.
- Autoimmune response in various blood disorders, such as, autoimmune hemolytic anemia and thrombocytopenic purpura, lead to increasing destruction of blood cells, thus contributing to anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia. This can result in consequent symptoms of poor endurance and exercise tolerance, difficulty clotting, risk for uncontrolled bleeding, and flare-up of infections. Prednisone, by suppressing overactive immune system, helps prevent excessive destruction of blood cells, thus providing relief from the above symptoms.
Transplant recipients:
- Individuals receiving organ transplants are at risk for transplant rejection, as the body’s natural immune system identifies the transplant as foreign and consequently mounts an immune response against the transplant, with the goal of having it rejected.
- Prednisone, by suppressing the immune system, helps prevent rejection of the transplanted organ.
